The engine

Dan-Tec - 23 SC

The challenge – Supplying The Power For The World’s Fastest Motorbike

Building the World’s fastest motorbike for the Angelic Bulldog Project is a case of putting a very powerful engine in a very streamlined and stable bike. This is where the problems start, because the bike has to be very slim to be aerodynamic, and powerful engines are generally big.

The widest part of the bike is where it fits around the rider, and the engine will be mounted just behind, so we need a very generous amount of power in a very slim package. Looking at the engine options, we didn’t have many that would fit, combined with the fact it had to be reliable enough to do many runs without the need for special attention.

Looking at current motorbike engines, they supply large amounts of reliable power from a very small package, so why not fit two together and add a power boosting device such as a turbo or supercharger. But fitting two engines together is not without its problems either. If we took the drive from both engine gearboxes we could run into problems with harmonics running up and down the drive train and destroying everything, combined with the fact each gearbox is handling more than double the power it was designed for. Why are we having two gearboxes anyway when we only need one strong gearbox?

Our solution

The design solution is what we’ve called the Dan-Tec 8 – 23 SC. Two Honda Blackbird engines have their gearboxes removed so the two engines can fit tightly together, back to back, in the slim bodywork of the bike. The engine becomes an 8 cylinder in a square formation, also known as a sqr 8. By using two engines, the capacity is now 2.3 litres, below the 3.0 litre maximum capacity for the record. The two crankshafts of the engine are now linked with gears and a connecting shaft, so the two engines will run nicely together, not as two separate engines. The engine power will be boosted with a supercharger and nitrous oxide if necessary. An output shaft is driven from the back to a car clutch and gearbox, that are suitably rated for the power being produced.

This is a very unique engine for a very unique bike.

The Rules

There are not many rules but they are important to be eligible for world record breaking. The engine is restricted to 3 litre cubic capacity. It must be motorbike based to run at Bonneville, our engine is based on two Honda Blackbird blocks. The bike must be wheel driven so no jets or rockets.